GREAT FALLS — Powerful winds are causing trouble in Great Falls and across the region, including roof damage, downed trees, and power outages.
Lincoln Elementary School at 624 27th Street South in Great Falls has been damaged by the severe winds, with parts of the roof ripped off.
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Roads are blocked around the school. Great Falls Police Department, Great Falls Fire Rescue, and City Public Works staff are at the scene. The extent of the damage is not yet known. There are no reports of any injuries.
Lincoln students will not have school on Monday or Tuesday (March 9-10). If you are a staff member, student, or family member at Lincoln Elementary School, please watch Parent Square and GFPS social media/website for more information.
Teachers will be in contact with families from their classrooms by Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
Arrangements are being made for lunches for Lincoln students. Parents will be notified with more information via Parent Square.
The Great Falls Police Department said that 911 dispatchers are working hard to answer calls and dispatch appropriate resources for downed power poles, trees, and roofs.
Great Falls Fire Rescue shared the following message:
It is critical for the safety of all responders and crews working at Lincoln School that the public avoid that area.
We understand that community members want to know what is happening but standing and walking in the area where response work is taking place is not only a safety concern for the people working the incident but also the people that are just trying to get a look. Please stay out of the area. There are multiple agencies coordinating response efforts during this severe weather.
If you see response vehicles and crews out, please give them room to do their jobs. There are multiple power lines down and we do not want members from the public approaching them and putting themselves at risk.
Dispatch has been receiving numerous calls. Please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing an emergency. Do not call to find out what is going on around town. That takes time away from attending to emergency calls.
There was also a wildland fire near Gibson Flats; at this point, there is no word on whether there has been any structure damage or injuries.
The Fort Benton Volunteer Fire Department was paged for mutual aid to Geraldine Fire in response to a wildfire on Big Sag Road area. Additional departments around the county have also been dispatched and the fight is still ongoing. There are no reports of any injuries.
Dutton Volunteer Fire & Rescue shared the following information:
Dutton Volunteer Fire had a busy day responding to multiple wildland fires in and around the Dutton area.
The first call came in this morning for a wildfire caused by a downed power line on the south edge of town. While crews were actively working that incident, a second page went out for another wildfire that had started from a brush pile that reignited due to today’s strong winds.
With the very dry conditions and high winds, both fires had the potential to spread quickly and created challenging conditions for firefighters. Due to fire growth and weather conditions, mutual aid departments were requested while Dutton crews worked to contain the fires.
Thanks to quick response times, good communication, and strong teamwork between responding departments, both fires were brought under control before causing further damage. Crews remained on scene to address hotspots and areas that were flaring up again in the wind.
While Dutton crews were handling fires locally, nearly every other department in the county was involved with the large wildfire outside of Choteau. Those departments and firefighters deserve their own recognition and appreciation for the work they put in today battling that fire under difficult conditions.
There have been intermittent power outages across the region affecting thousands of people; check the NorthWestern Energy outage map for current outages.
We will update you as we get more information.
